Rummaging for Riches
by Purplemoonsong
Summary: The first story in the Strolling in Skyrim series. Set in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. A young Argonian named Aisri sails to Dawnstar from the Black Marshes in order to get more money to support her poor family. This is based off an actual adventure in Skyrim, which had a set of rules to it. This is a crackfic, and is not meant to be written in a very formal tone.
1. Prologue: Rules

These are the rules that I controlled my character by.

1. Act like an NPC (I'm here to live in Skyrim)

2. Eat and sleep regularly

3. No fast travel

4. Don't reload a previously saved game if things don't go my way


	2. Chapter One: The Dawn of a New Day

I, Aisiri, came to Skyrim in search of wealth. My family, back in the Black Marsh, is poor. I, their only daughter, am their only hope. And here I am, in Dawnstar, with only my rough tunic and old shoes, and a hundred pieces of gold (all of my own savings).

I disembark from the ship I came on, happy to stretch my stiff legs. I run across the dock, ignoring the first mine I come to, Quicksilver Mine, and head towards Iron-Breaker Mine. However, I do need a pickaxe to mine.

Filled with hope, I check a barrel. Nothing but five sprigs of lavender. I halfheartedly chew on one as I continue my search for a pickaxe.

As luck would have it, I find a pickaxe lying on the ground near the barrel. I quickly pick it up and run to the nearest iron vein I can find. I immediately begin hacking at the rock.

On my way to another iron vein, I come across another barrel, with five carrots. That'll be useful when I need lunch. I grab them and begin chopping away again.

This mine does not seem too big, however. After about two hours chopping away, there seems to be no more ore. Fortunately, I am able to access a second level of the mine, and there, I snatch five tomatoes, and continue chopping away.

It's slow and satisfying work, but it doesn't last. I can't find enough iron veins to mine from! Exasperated, I stomp out of the mine, intending to give the owner a piece of my mind.

The mine owner is nowhere to be seen. Now thoroughly frustrated, I work the smelter and smelt my iron. Now, this is more like it! I wonder if I can sell these to get myself some proper clothes.

On my way to look for a shop, I collect some snowberries, and run into Jarl Skald and a couple having a fight. I talk to the woman, Brina Merilis, and find out that Jarl Skald is supporting Ulfric's rebellion, and he doesn't like having a couple of old legionaries living in his town. She also calls him a fool.

I feel like a fool. Who is Ulfric? What rebellion? I miss the Black Marsh, where everything was a lot simpler.

For lunch, I eat a carrot, then I'm ready to work again. Since I had very little luck in Iron-Breaker mine, I'm going to try Quicksilver mine.

On a small shelf in the upper part of Quicksilver mine, I find a small treasure trove. Not literally, though. I find a woodcutter's axe, two bottles of wine, and a potion of magicka.

On a small table, I find a large amount of food. This day just keeps getting better and better.

After a few hours, though, I grow tired of the mine. I leave the mine, taking my quicksilver and gems with me. I sell all my quicksilver to the mine owner. After running about the town for a while, I find a small shop called the Mortar and Pestle. Once I get in, I realize it's a shop for potions. Well, that's of no use to me.

After finding the forge, I talk to Rustlief, the owner. He asks me to bring him a book, a certain Night Falls on Sentinel. I agree to do this, and set about asking him other questions. I buy some leather and some leather strips from him, and set about making my first armor. When I'm done, I put it on, and drop my tunic into the sea. After a moment of hesitation, I drop the old shoes, too. I purchase more leather, and make myself iron gauntlets, iron boots, and an iron war axe.

At last, my Argonian instincts beg me to swim in the bay for a bit. I oblige, and dive into the water. When I emerge, my skin shining with the water, I see a strange light in front of me. Curious, I walk over to it, and see that it's a plant.

I pick it, finding that it is a nirnroot. I pick another, and then, I eat one. To my horror, I realize that it damages my health. Luckily, the effects don't last long, and soon I'm back to full vitality.

I walk back to Iron-Breaker mine, intending to get some more ore before it becomes totally dark. I'll mine one iron vein now, and more tomorrow.

I have no need of the wine I took from the mine, so I give some to a man who wants some so that he can get to sleep. Curious, I ask him why, and he tells me that the entire village has been plagued by nightmares. I enter Windpeak Inn, eat a carrot for supper, and strike up a conversation with Karita, a bard. She tells me not to worry about the nightmares: travelers aren't affected.

After buying my room for the night, I fall into my bed, and sleep.


	3. Chapter Two: Heading for Winterhold

The moment I wake up, I eat a tomato for breakfast, and head straight for Iron-Breaker mine. But I'm disappointed. My careful searching reveals no iron. It's the same with Quicksilver mine. I think it's time to move on.

Before I do so, I stop in for a quick chat with the owner of Windpeak Inn. He tells me about some of the rumors he's heard: a little boy trying to contact a group of assassins, a shrine up at the top of a mountain, and something about a black door. None of which interest me.

I check my map to see my destination. Winterhold! That's the next city on the coastline, and east of Dawnstar. I think I'll travel there next. But first, I might need a bow. That means a trip to the blacksmith.

I talk to Seren, Rustlief's wife, and purchase an overpriced bow, and twenty arrows. I eat a red apple for lunch, and I'm off to Winterhold.

After traveling for a few minutes, I immediately come upon a small, but rocky hill, covered in ice, and hard to climb. I make my way up it, slaughtering a rabbit on the way.

When I reach the top of the hill, I see a bend in the coastline, and an island. On the island is a strange building. I decide to stick to the coastline.

I follow the coastline, looking for nirnroots or other plants, when I see several pillars of smoke in front of me. Fires. And what would those fires mean? I draw my iron war axe, and begin making my way towards the fires.

There's nothing there, or at least, nothing that can attack me. The fires rage on the ground. I pick some grass pods off some spiky grass, and move on, keeping my weapon unsheathed.

I haven't gone far when I'm attacked by two wolves. I slash at the first one, managing to kill it in three strikes. For the other one, I'm luckier. I kick it in the stomach, and send my blade slicing down upon its skull. I take their pelts, and turn my attention to some clams sitting on the ground. I take the clam meat from them, and turn my gaze to the icy slopes in front of me.

As I head towards what seems to be the easiest path up the mountain, I take some nordic barnacles from the ground. But as I continue, three more wolves attack me. I use the maneuver I tried on the other wolf, and kill one. The other two are upon me in an instant, and I manage to kill them. I take their pelts, and leave them on the ground, keeping my eye on an elk standing a little way in front of me.

Too late to try to sneak up to it. It bolts away from me, and I follow it. After wildly swinging my sword and hacking at it, I finally kill it. I take its antlers, pelt, and some venison, and I continue my journey.

A horker! There are a lot of animals on this journey. I wonder, will the horker be hostile? The only way to find out is to head towards it. I do so, and see two wolves lying next to it. I'm heading towards the dead wolves when the horker turns around, and attacks. I attack back, killing it. I take its meat, and its tusk. As for the two wolves, I take their pelts. So far, the dead are as follows: a rabbit, seven wolves, an elk, and a horker.

Four more horkers appear in front of me. This time, I know better than to try and make friends with them. I crouch down, and send and arrow into the first one. Instantly, all four begin attacking me. I down one, and then I run away, for fear of losing all my health and dying. After a while, I can no longer sprint, so I turn towards the horkers. Luckily, they're not very fast, so I rest for a while, waiting for myself to heal.

Suddenly, I remember my amateur studies of magic in the Black Marsh. I cast a spell of healing on myself, almost draining my magicka, but bringing myself back to full strength. I charge the horkers.

All of them set upon me at once. After fighting valiantly for a few moments, I succumb to the blackness that tugs at my vision.


	4. Epilogue

And that is the story of Aisiri, the female Argonian.

Thank you for reading the first story of the _Strolling in Skyrim_ series!

The second story of the _Strolling in Skyrim _series is called: The Huntress


End file.
